The canal was a working highway. It brought coal and lime to the area and took textiles and manufactured goods to be exported around the world.Views like the one left were a familiar sight in the early days - a family working a loaded boat and the horse who provided the power to move it along the canal. Many local people not only made their living on their boat, it was also their home as we can see from this extract from the 1871 census showing the boats moored at Hirst Lock (below).